Commentary: Convertibles, a concept from yesterday?

Contents

The editors at heise Autos are all fresh-air fanatics. As a last resort, at least a sunroof in one's own car will have to suffice. Unfortunately, this option is becoming increasingly rare. Convertibles would be the dream solution, but also a luxury that none of us has yet afforded. Nevertheless, a recent report from the German Press Agency (dpa) caused a certain personal concern, according to which cars with fabric tops are apparently dying out.

According to the Kraftfahrtbundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority), only 33,924 new units were registered in 2025, a full 17 percent less than in 2024. This means that only one in every 84 new cars sold in Germany is a convertible. However, this only marks the end of a longer agony, as is clear when looking further back: in 2015, more than twice as many soft-top cars were registered as in the past year, and in 2009, with 102,938, there were even three times as many.

For my colleagues and me, they would have had to be four-seaters so as not to leave half the family behind. For reasons of practicality, no one could be persuaded to opt for a VW T-Roc Cabrio. At least as a test car, we recently greatly enjoyed the two-seater Mazda MX-5, which, due to its lightness and the dying standard drivetrain, also meets higher demands on driving dynamics at all times.

Perspective Shift: E-Mobility

Given the inevitable shift in driving energy, this is, of course, an almost nostalgic perspective by now. But we also had a great deal of fun driving with the roof down in the electrically powered Fiat 500e (test); although the small car with its long roll-back roof is quite airy, it is not a true convertible by strict definition. Nevertheless, let's count our 2023 test car of the year. It would then be the modest pole of the electric convertible offering, so to speak. The other goes in a decidedly hypertrophic direction.

There, the problems of change are clearly beginning to show. As a forward-looking electric alternative to a Mazda MX5 (test), the Chinese MG Cyberster is available, a car that cannot meet the demands of a typical roadster. Its 375 kW electric drive, due to the necessary batteries, makes the car too heavy for the handling expected of the roadster genre.

On the other hand, there are fewer and fewer potential customers who can still make such demands based on their experience. Even today, we increasingly receive letters from readers who apparently can no longer comprehend the issue of drastically increased masses. However, a market opportunity for this car could arise elsewhere, regardless of such developments: How many of the younger generation have the means to afford such a luxury?

Social Margins

The Porsche 718 Boxster EV will likely be much pricier than a Cyberster. It was announced for last year, then for the current one, and now for 2027. Given the new optimism in the automotive industry with the change of government and the EU's supposedly greater openness to technology, the project could also be completely shelved. However, with a price of over 80,000 euros, it would only be relevant for a social fringe group anyway. This also applies to about 20 other models on the market, of which 17 cost over 100,000 euros, a good third of them over 200,000, and hardly any are electric. Certainly not cars with the potential to measurably boost falling sales figures.

In this respect, it would also be understandable if Porsche were to conclude today that such cars are hardly worthwhile for a minority within its already exclusive customer base. This is because convertibles are generally pricier, with their body reinforcements and complex roof mechanisms. Since this also makes them heavier and aerodynamically worse, large batteries are more common, especially in high-performance concepts, with the same driving dynamics problem as the MG Cyberster. All of this increases production costs and reduces margins.

In connection with convertibles, the dpa report clearly formulates the idea that cars are now only sold on promises: “The decline is likely due to a change in lifestyle on the one hand. Furthermore, the theme of freedom, which benefited the convertible market, has now been somewhat occupied by SUVs, which have massively increased their market share in recent years.” No, I cannot and will not share this openly defeatist view. I am by no means willing to purchase any product based on an undefined promise of freedom. For me, a car remains a tool that must fit a describable purpose as precisely as possible.

Capitalism and Alienation

Because capitalism's abundantly wet dream of selling products through promises and dreams can only mean one thing: alienation. Not a single current SUV would be suitable for an expedition, despite all the dreams of the aforementioned “freedom.” Not even current off-road vehicles can be repaired by the proverbial village blacksmith in the Sahel anymore, due to their numerous electronic components. Only a few cars are suitable for this, most of them significantly older than 30 years. One doesn't have to go that far with convertibles.

But even with such folding-roof cars, I am now forced into the nostalgia already mentioned if I take “freedom” seriously. With them, the path will soon lead almost exclusively through the used car market if I want to expose myself to the fresh air in a truly un-alienated way. As an electric convertible, the Mini Cooper SE Cabrio from 2023, discontinued after a small series of 999 units, shines there. Ironically, even used, it is still a car for a social fringe group.

(fpi)